By Gus Saltonstall
A woman was robbed at gunpoint within an Upper West Side train station on Wednesday, according to police.
A 57-year-old woman was walking in the West 86th Street B and C station around 11:20 a.m., when a man grabbed her from behind and placed a gun to her head, while demanding her things, NYPD said.
“This is real,” the man said about the gun, according to the New York Daily News.
The man then exited the station and fled on a maroon bicycle westbound on West 88th Street, police added.
The woman was not injured during the incident, NYPD said.
Police released the above image of the suspect, who they described as 5 foot 9 inches tall.
The gunpoint robbery within the West 86th Street train station happened almost simultaneously on Wednesday with a different gunpoint robbery of a business on West 72nd Street, between Columbus and Amsterdam avenues.
There is no indication the two incidents are connected.
In both cases, no arrests have been made and the investigations remain ongoing as of Friday morning, according to police.
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I heard that Club Pilates on 88th and Columbus was robbed at gunpoint a couple of weeks ago, but it was not reported to the police.
Not report a robbery to the police?
Why would any legitimate business not do that?
That’s just saying do it again.
That’s as bad as the district attorney refusing to prosecute.
LOL — we had 2 guys gain access to our building (wearing fluorescent vests like workmen), and go into our basement. Our super ran into them and luckily they left without incident, but they were clearly trying to steal stuff, and it could have easily turned violent. We called the police and they didn’t even come out to collect the video we had of the guys or take a statement. Clearly these guys had done this before/would do it again, but the police didn’t care about collecting information so they could stop them. Say all you want about Bragg (and I’m not defending him), but the police 1) don’t care and 2) have a vested interest in crime being bad/people thinking it’s bad (either because they can try to push out Bragg or to get more money and goodwill from taxpayers). Fifty years ago they were up to the same thing. https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/may/18/welcome-to-fear-city-the-inside-story-of-new-yorks-civil-war-40-years-on
Fear of retribution?
Thats why “ crime is down”. So much isnt reported. Also murders are slightly down. Assaults and robberies UP!
Elections are in two weeks. Don’t vote for Bragg!!
A gunpoint robbery in your establishment will kill your business.
Gun point robberies occurring more frequently. Make you yearn for the good old days of the chain snatch.
I had my chain stolen off my neck AS I WAS RIDING A CITI BIKE last year. On the Hudson, at the 3pm, by a man on a scooter who came onto the bike path. He grabbed my throat from behind, and as i fought him off… ON A BIKE.. he took the chain and sped off. Insanity.
It’s hard to imagine how callous and depraved someone must be to hold a gun to a woman’s head just for a purse or a phone.
When are we going to start locking up criminals? I bet it is not his first rodeo.
At least he didn’t hurt her.
Pretty sad that we give a perp kudos for now.
We do lock up criminals. We just have to catch them first. I think the NYPD has a pretty good record on that. It feels sometimes like these law and order supporters would lock everyone up.
Really? What is the punishment for this type of crime? How much time does he actually serve? And how many crimes does a criminal commit before he actually enters jail?
Mike, From the worldwide global interweb…In New York City, armed robbery is classified as a Class B felony, which can result in a prison sentence ranging from 5 to 25 years. The exact length of the sentence may depend on factors such as prior criminal history and the specifics of the crime.
From what I understand, one armed robbery is enough to send you to prison.
And what % of armed robberies get plead down to a lesser charge, and what is the average time served? 5-25 is a meaningless range. What matters it the average time served, not some theoretical maximum.
You also mis-understood my question – how many crimes does a typical armed robber commit, before is is jailed for armed robbery?
It is done without a moments thought based on the direction we are going in/heading,
I am referring to criminals using guns to threaten people.
It is only going to get worse.
Stop electing politicians who are soft on crime. It’s so simple, yet the majority of voters refuse to do it.
I don’t know who in their right mind would vote for Bragg
Absolutely. I don’t understand how can anyone in their right mind vote for Bragg.
Please ask the NYPD for a full picture of the bicycle if they have one. I recognize bicycles (size/color) more than the riders. It looks like a Giant or Trek hybrid from the 2010 era. Do they know if the large bag belongs to the perp or the victim?
Do you think he bought the bike from a store locally and they saved the receipt???????
Is it starting to dawn on people on why we need to enforce fare evasion ?
There are quasi-security guards at a lot of the entrances now but they do absolutely nothing. I often board at 86th St. and the guards and the person in the booth don’t care. The new devices to make it harder to go through aren’t a bad idea but don’t seem to be helping much.
I am a strong belief in deterrents. Give serious penalties for fare evasion and word will spread. More importantly, give serious penalties for robbing someone at gunpoint and word will spread. If this person is caught, they will be given the minimum sentence possible, with no consideration of past offenses. I do not want a police state – I hate what Trump is doing. But we have gone to the opposite extreme.
Absolutely – someone should tell it to NYPD, maybe they could look up from their phones on occasion
Your hatred of Cops is well documented. Cops are on their phones for a variety of reasons. Cops have Department Cell phone that provide information, and they must make memo book entries on the phones. With war on Police doing nothing is often the best move.
99% of the time, they are LEGIT playing games on their phone, ignoring people hopping
From all the descriptions above it appears the police responded very quickly.
Please let Alvin Bragg know.
Our cops are a joke.
Why would the cops enforce fare evasion? DA Bragg announced his first day in office that he would not prosecute fare evasion cases.
Here’s the Day 1 memo direct from Bragg’s office. Read point #5 on the second page. He gave criminals a list of crimes that are OK in Manhattan.
https://www.manhattanda.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Day-One-Fact-sheet-Final-1.6.22.pdf
Curious, if the DA won’t prosecute fare evasion, they why are there still inspectors for the crosstown buses?
To be fair, I think Bragg is saying don’t focus on petty crimes but let’s put police attention to dangerous criminals that are a risk to public safety. This is also indicative of a lack of funds going into the police force that make such a compromise necessary.
If there are limited funds, and not enough police on the force, then I agree with Bragg — use the police
where they are needed the most.
Bragg’s memo was not about resource allocation, it was about decriminalizing certain offenses.
I am not seeing any serious crimes in point 5: “marijuana, fare evasion, some trespass cases, driving with 1 or 2 license suspensions, noncriminal offenses such as traffic infractions, resisting arrest for any non-criminal offense, prostitution, and obstructing governmental administration.” Fare evasion needs to be removed from the list. I sometimes feel that I am the only chump paying to ride.
Armed robbery is on the list of offenses to be prosecuted.
The way to prevent big street level crime is to set the tone that all laws are enforced. I have seen this 1st hand. Think about it if you can double park for 2 minutes, why not 2 hours, why not leave your car double parked and go on vacation for 2 weeks? Fare evasion was a major way serious crime was stopped, guns recovered ect. Enforcing fare evasion sets the tone for the transit system, its tells people here are the rules and everyone will follow or else, the problem is the NYPD has no or else.
According to studies that I have seen, most people who commit serious crimes (murder, rape, armed robbery, etc..) do not start with those crimes. Their first crimes are petty crimes, and as they see there is no punishment, they graduate to more serious stuff. There is a sense of lawlessness in the city, and yes, letting your dog run of-leash in violation of the law is a crime and should be punished.
Exactamundo!!!
Those dangerous criminals who are a risk to public safety are the same people who don’t pay to ride the Subway.
We need many more cops on the Upper West Side.
This is horrible. Hopefully he is caught and given significant punishment. I hope the victim is OK.
And now I am waiting for someone to say that we should feel bad for this criminal because it was clearly a desperate act, their life is so challenging, it is symptomatic of income inequality, etc. Nope. Don’t work that way. There is zero justification for this. Full stop. Walk to the far end of 86th Street and go to WSCAH. They will happily provide food and other resources.
Quick, send in the Violence Interrupters.
🤣
I am definitely not victim blaming, and I admit to not knowing full details/circumstances.
Severals years ago I was attacked in Riverside Park (and WSR reported it after I reached out.) I was unharmed and nothing was taken. However, after that unfortunate incident, I make myself more aware of my surroundings. When I enter a subway station, I try to make sure that there are people around. I know this is not always possible, but it helps. And I almost always look over my shoulder. Before the incident, I was walking around the city completely carefree, but not anymore. Not in Gotham City.
I feel badly for the victim and hope she is ok.
“I am definitely not victim blaming.”
(Proceeds to victim blame)
No, I am not victim blaming. The suggestions I provided for avoiding getting attacked in the subway are not obvious, and I was just providing guidance for those who are not familiar with these tactics. And to answer Ashely’s response further below, no I did not look over my shoulder when I was attacked. Funny I admitted to being an attack victim and now strangers feel comfortable attacking me online while I am only trying to provide advice. Hope you all feel good about yourselves.
These knee-jerk responses! It is not blaming anyone to suggest that they be careful simply because it’s the smart thing to do in urban circumstances. The perp is at fault; still, we need to be wary for our own safety. The commenter is simply reminding us of that and admitting that, for her, it was a lesson hard learned. Thanks, Joanne.
The details are that she was waiting for a train on W 86th Street at 11AM — what else do you need to know?
This response sounds defensive and I am guessing that maybe you know the victim. I was trying to be delicate.
The details I don’t have, are, did she look over her shoulder before descending to see if anyone suspicious looking was following her. I did this before my attack. Before going all the way down to the platform did she check to see if there were other passengers waiting on the platform. If not, I would wait on the stairs until I hear the train coming.
She did. She definitely looked over her shoulder for any otherwise unremarkable men who look like 10,000 other going about their day, and tried to divine if he had a gun in his pocket. Unfortunately, she guessed wrong – or decided to enter the subway at 11:20am for the thrill, the hell with it. It’s all her fault. She should have done like me – wait at home until I hear the train coming, three deadbolts locked, while inspecting the bathroom for any strangers before I enter.
Where do you come up with this nonsense? Being vigilant does not equate losing common sense.
other passengers around aint help when someone pointed a gun at you. Someone was trying to rob my phone near Washington square park when a million people were passing by. We literally went back and forth grabbing the phone and he failed. Passengers didn’t even look at us.
So you looked over your shoulder but then were attacked anyway?
“It’s not as bad as the 1970s”
Yeah, it’s not. I was mugged 8 times growing up in the ’70s and ’80s, twice at knifepoint. I stopped a woman from getting mugged when I was a teenager. My kids have never had one incident in all their years riding the subway at all hours of the night. We had 6 times as many murders in 1990.
I was here then too, and yes, it was worse. But I’m not willing to settle for things being better than the worst years. That’s a recipe for sliding back into it, not getting safer.
You’re right. It’s not. Turn off the Citizen app.
And security cameras are a lot better.
Oh, you were being sarcastic about the 1970s, when there was no internet and neighborhood news portals.
According to today’s Daily News”:
“Gunpoint robberies are exceedingly rare in the city’s subway system. As of Sunday, robberies on the rails were down by 10%, from 347 at this time last year to 310 so far this year.”
Let’s amend the term to “REPORTED robberies.”
1 every day isn’t rare.
In a city of 10 million++ it sure is.
Let me guess. He has.a rap sheet as long as a CVS receipt.
Cool cool let’s just refer to him as “5’9” that’ll narrow it down plenty
There’s literally a picture. Without doing math, the only trait you can’t discern from that photo is height.
his height is the only distinguishing characteristic.
How about his race? And what appears to be short hair? Identifying someone by their race in this situation is not racist. It is a distinguishing trait – if he was white I would expect him to be identified as such. Let’s not be so sensitive about this.
And the picture accomplishes that, no?
Happy to see my station get hit as well. No station left behind!! And at 11 in the morning no less. Too bad he missed the morning rush.
I too am a strong believer in Subway Equity
and they refuse to post my comments?? 🙄
She wasn’t injured. Only traumatized. Unless she was liberal then maybe she was happy to redistribute the wealth.
DJT has redistributed a lot more wealth.
Primarily to the bank accounts of people named Trump
Not sure where that came from, what your point is, or how that relates to this story. You think about Trump all the time or just when you’re awake?
Brings up politics, then wonders why people respond in kind….🤔
We need penalties and action that make larger numbers of would-be criminals decide not to commit their next crime. In my household we are voting AGAINST Bragg.
I wonder how he got a permit for concealed carry. Must be paying a lot more taxes, owning a lot more homes, taking care of many more children, or dealing with many more work responsibilities than I do – to deserve such vaunted privilege. Always good to meet such upstanding citizens.
I’m ready for the City to cover every inch with cameras and AI surveillance so criminals can be followed and arrested; there has to be consequences… and judges willing to convict.
that would be great if we could use that to then enforce parking rules.
Would you include criminals on Wall Street in your surveillance?
Looks like the MTA cameras have good images of the suspect.
1: Wish we could. 2: Yes, fortunate this time.
Give it a rest…you’re boring us
How many people live in fear that a banker is going to put a gun to their head?
What’s the over/under for his arrest record..60..80 arrests?
I try to use public transportation only during rush hours. I don’t feel safe after dark any more. I used to ride the trains late at night but that was when I was young and could run fast. These are vastly different times, unfortunately.
If the story is accurate, this was 11:20am, in the morning, just before noon, not after dark. This should not be a risky time for traveling in the subway!!!
Correct, and we should ALL be focusing on the behavior of the man with the gun and not the vigilance of the victim. : (
Time of day does not matter, criminals have no fear of consequences.
Black jacket, black heart
I avoid the B/C line on off-hours and go to 1 line stations, which tend to be more populated. Going a few blocks out of my way is worth to me it for safety reasons. And the 1 tends to run more frequently so I make up the time on the train.
I moved out not due to crime but because I was retiring from the (GASP! ), DOE. I have no desire to go visit NYC unfortunately because at ONE time, I DID love it. I grew up on W88th st. 1950s-late 1970s. Unless Manhattan is cleaned up, I’ll wait to return from across the river
Maybe if you came across the river now and then you would see that overwhelmingly most of us go through every single day for years and years on end without ever being crime victims. 30 years here and I’ve never been a victim of a crime in the streets of New York.
token people instead of cops would be a much more cost efficient and effective deterrent.
What’s the term in psychology for WSR readers reading about a single, isolated crime and turning it into the city is crime ridden and we need 7,000 more cops? Crime is down but it still occasionally happens – city life!
You’re assuming lot here. People like you who think the city has to be this way are the problem. Look up crime reclassification while you’re at it before talking about stats being down.
Will this EVER end? And how exactly will
Will this ever end? And how will Zorhan cut down on these repulsive events.? I know that UWSiders are resolutely liberal but Mr Mamdami has ZERO experience.
We will see more of this of Mamdani is Mayor. He was so bad during debate. No proof of leadership. No public safety plan. He missed more of the 71 voting days in Albany than ANY other Assembly Member. We need a real leader that Trump wont mess with – that will improve public safety and quality of life.
The bad thing is all 3 are horrible.
Same dude who robbed the weed store on 72nd? He busy.
What’s happening to the UWS? These incidents in broad daylight plus the man who was punched and injured at Morton Williams
And that’s why we need more police patrolling, our subways on the platforms, not just above, near the turn styles.
ESPECIALLY on the platforms. At the 86th St. B/C station, you can wait in view of the ticket booth if you’re headed north. If you need a southbound train, it’s down another flight of stairs with nobody in attendance. It can get pretty lonely down there.
Yikes. I’ve seen this man on 88th St. and CPW in the past — on my way to drop the kiddos off for school.
I’m assuming the robber left a getaway bike waiting for him above ground. And that he would not want to risk delay by having to unlock it. How did an unlocked bike not get stolen while he was in the subway station?? You can’t leave a bike out for more than a few minutes before it disappears.